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early blue violet, wild dog violet

Habit Glabrous to densely puberulent perennial from slender rhizomes, from stemless to 10 cm. tall.
Leaves

Leaves short- to long-petiolate, the blade cordate-ovate to lance-ovate, with fine, rounded teeth, 1-3 cm. long;

stipules liner-lanceolate, 3-10 mm. long, entire to remotely slender-toothed.

Flowers

Flowers 5-15 mm. long, the spur on the lowest petal slender, over half the length of the petal;

petals blue to deep violet, the lower three with a whitish base penciled in violet, the lateral pair white-bearded;

style head bearded with thick hairs. Some flowers also cleistogamous (do not open up but do self-pollinate and produce seed).

Fruits

Fruit a 3-valved capsule, ovary superior, placentation parietal.

Viola rostrata

Viola adunca

Flowering time April-August
Habitat Dry to moist meadows and open woods, from the lowlands to subalpine areas.
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native
Conservation status Not of concern
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. arvensis, V. canadensis, V. flettii, V. glabella, V. howellii, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. macloskeyi, V. nephrophylla, V. nuttallii, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palustris, V. pluviae, V. purpurea, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. ×wittrockiana
V. arvensis, V. canadensis, V. flettii, V. glabella, V. howellii, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. macloskeyi, V. nephrophylla, V. nuttallii, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palustris, V. pluviae, V. purpurea, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. ×wittrockiana
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